Acts Passed

Bill to Protect the health and welfare of broiler chickens kept indoor husbandry systems.

1.There shall be inserted in the Animal Health Act 1981 the following section-

38a: (1) It shall be an offence to keep or knowingly cause or permit to be kept any broiler chicken in an indoor husbandry system except where-

1. the broiler chickens are stocked at a density which does not exceed seven birds per square metre;
2. the flock size does not exceed 3,000 broiler chickens;
3. the broiler chicken is given a sufficient quantity of suitable food to prevent hunger;
4. the chicken has legs of sufficient strengh to support its body weight and enable it to walk without difficulty;
5. the flock is inspected at least twice each day and any broiler chicken having difficulty in walking or who is
6. otherwise injured or diseased is removed and is either treated by, or as instructed by, a veterinary surgeon,
7. or where a veterinary surgeon advises that such treatment is not practicable, is humanely slaughtered;
8. the litter is kept clean and at all times; and
9. the broiler chickens are collectedd for transport to the slaughterhouse in such a manner as to avoid any injurt to the birds.

(2) A person quilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(3) In this section "broiler chicken" means a domestic fowl kept for meat production or breeding."

2.

(1) This Act may be cited as the the Welfare of Broiler Chickens Act 1996.

(2) This Act shall come into force at the end of the period of one year beginning on the day on which it is passed.

 

Bill to make provision for the protection of wild mammals from certain cruel acts; and for connected purposes.

1. If, save as permitted by this Act, any person mutilates, kicks, beats, nails or otherwise impales, stabs, burns, stones, crushes, drowns, drugs or asphyxiates any wild mammal with intent to inflict unnecessary suffering he shall be guilty of an offence.

2. A person shall not be quilty of an offence under this Act by reason of-

1. the attempted killing of any such wild mammal as an act of mercy ir he shows that the mammal had been so seriously disabled otherwise than by his unlawful act that there was no reasonable chance of its recovering;
2. the killing in a reasonably swift and humane manner of any such wild mammal if he shows that the wild mammal had been injured or taken in the course of either lawful shooting, hunting, coursing or pest control activity;
3. doing anything which is authorised by or under any enactment;
4. any act made unlawful by section 1 if the act was done by means of any snare, trap, dog, or bird lawfully used for the prpose of killing or taking any wild mammal; or
5. the lawful use of any poisonous or noxious substance on any wild mammal.

3. In this Act "wild mammal" means any mammal which is not a domestic or captive animal within the meaning of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 or the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912.

4. Where a constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a person has committed an offence under the provisions of this Act and that evidence of the commission of the offence may be found on that person or in or on any vehicle he may have with him, the constable may-

1. without warrant, stop and search that person and any vehicle or article he may have with him; and
2. seize and detain for the purposes of proceedings under any of those provisions anything which may be evidence of the commission of the offence of may be liable to be confiscated un section 6 of this Act.

5.

(1) A person guilty of an offence under this Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.

(2) Provided that where the offence was commiotted in respect of more than one wild mammal, the maximum fine which may be imposed shall be determined as if the person had been convicted of a separate offence in respect of each such wild mammal.

6.

(1) The court before whom any person is convicted under this Act may, in addition to any other punishment, order the confiscation of any vehicle or equipment used in the commission of the offence.

(2) The Secretary of State may, regulations made by statutory instrument and subject to annulment in pusuance of a reolution either House of Parliament, make provision for the disposal or destruction in prescribed circumstances of any vehicle or equipment confiscted un this section.

7.

(1) This Act may be cited a the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996.

(2) This Act shall come into force with the expiration of the period of two months beginning with its passing.

(3) This Act shall not apply to Northern Ireland.

(4) Section 6 of this Act shall not apply to Scotland, and so much of section 4 as refers to that section shall also not apply there.